It's almost Christmas and it's been very cold lately. We've had a few snow alerts but, thankfully, nothing serious where I live. I did all my shopping on-line this year and I had it all delivered, wrapped, bagged, and tagged by the end of November. We'll be getting together at my Daughter's and I dropped off some of my presents this morning. I went with books this year.
I've ordered some more books recently and I'm waiting for them to come in so I decided to go for a couple of classics first.
Off The Shelf
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ($1.95/$1.95, published in 1867, 481 pages, Paperback)
I'm guessing that you all know this story. Oliver is an orphan who runs away from a workhouse and the cruel Mr. Bumble and winds up on the streets of London where he meets up with the Artful Dodger who introduces him to Fagin and his gang of youthful pickpockets. Besides these characters, Dickens populates the book with others that have become stereotypes including Nancy, the prostitute with a heart of gold and Bill Sikes the vicious burglar. It was originally published as a series in Bentley's Miscellany and Dickens does a great job of describing the criminal underground of London at the time. I can only imagine how the readers waited impatiently for the next chapter. I enjoyed it.
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ($1.50/$1.50, copyright 1956 (this edition), 441 pages, Paperback)
Again, here's another story that you should be familiar with. In 1815 Edmond Dantès a young and successful merchant sailor who has just recently been told that he will be taking over from Captain Leclère as he retires. With this happy news he returns to Marseille to marry his Catalan fiancée Mercédès. What he isn't aware of is that there are others who have a different idea and he gets arrested and thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed. He gets sent to the prison fortress of the Chateau D'If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas does a great job with the characters and the different set-ups throughout the book but I felt he could've spent more time on how Edmond got his revenge. Still, I enjoyed it.
Series
Black Money - Ross McDonald ($11,00/$.50, copyright 1965, 238 pages, Trade Paperback)
I spoke about the first Lew Archer book several months ago and I think I said I liked it. I'm not sure where this one falls into the series but it's one of the books I picked up at the Library Sale months ago. He's hired by a rich guy named Peter Jamieson to find out why his supposed fiancé - Ginny Fablon - ran away with a Frenchman. Archer tracks things back and winds up investigating a sports club and looking into a death that was previously classified as a suicide. McDonald has a good eye for background but I found myself struggling with this. Maybe because he never gives us a description or any background for Archer. It was OK.
I've already started a couple of other books and, coincidentally, they're by the same author but not the same genre.
Curious?
Stay tuned. Stay warm. Have a great Christmas, and a Happy New Year, and …..
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